History, heritage and the secrets of your home

People living in some of Sydney’s oldest homes can learn how to restore them without jeopardising their heritage status at two City of Sydney workshops during the National Trust Heritage Festival.

Heritage 101 at Customs House on Thursday 16 May will go through the processes for undertaking heritage restoration and tips on making sure everything runs smoothly.

The workshop will be introduced by Lord Mayor Clover Moore, with MC Adam Ford, host of ABCTV’s Who’s Been Sleeping in My House?. Speakers include architects and heritage building specialists Peter Phillips, Otto Cserhalmi and Gary Waller.

“Heritage buildings are an important part of Sydney’s character,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“It’s important we maintain heritage buildings for the generations to come, by using best practice techniques for restoration or renovation work in heritage conservation zones.”

Historian Shirley Fitzgerald is hosting a sold out workshop on Researching Your House’s History at Glebe Library on Saturday 11 May. Devised by the City’s History Unit, the two-hour workshop will give residents tips on how to research the history of their homes, how it has changed over time and who lived there previously.

Dr Fitzgerald will show how owners and occupiers can piece together small, and sometimes fascinating, histories using records such as the Sands Sydney Directory (1859-1932), rates assessments and land titles.

The History Unit is building an online guide for owners and residents to research the history of their buildings. History detectives can already learn more about their history of their home using the City of Sydney Archives online tools, such as Archives Investigator, Archive Pix and the Historical Atlas of Sydney.

The City also encourages not-for-profit organisations to restore heritage items through the Heritage Grant program. Last year St Stephen’s Uniting Church on Macquarie Street received a $10,000 Heritage Grant to maintain timber and metal doors as well as conserve leadlight windows and wall-mounted lanterns.

Some of Sydney’s oldest buildings, including Sydney Town Hall on George Street and the 132-year-old Glebe Town Hall, which reopened in March, are being carefully restored by the City.